NFU Scotland has welcomed the announcement today that the European Commission has given the go-ahead for a three-year scheme to replace the current Over Thirty Months Scheme (OTMS), subject to approval by the Council of Ministers.

Following advice from the Food Standards Agency, the OTMS is scheduled for removal later this year to be replaced by a rigorous BSE testing regime. However, animals born before 1996 will be permanently excluded from the food chain. The announcement today by Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie confirms the arrangements agreed by the Commission for a scheme to deal with these animals.

Particularly important is the three-year term of the scheme, which NFUS argued was the minimum term that should be considered. This allows time for current breeding animals born before 1996 to be replaced.

NFUS Vice President David Mitchell said:

"This is good news and another step taken towards removing the Over Thirty Months Scheme. It is important that animals born before 1996 can be disposed of in a managed way. From the start of this process, we have argued that a successor scheme would have to run for three years at the very least. Any shorter and there would be a real risk of blowing a major hole in Scotland's breeding herd. The Minister clearly recognised this and has ensured our case has been made in Brussels.

"On a practical level, producers are making breeding decisions now, particularly with spring calving herds. As far as future breeding is concerned, this news sets out the timescale they have to work to.

"There are still a number of steps to be taken before the Scottish beef industry is back where it belongs, at the heart of the European beef market. Resources must continue to be focussed on removing the OTMS later this year and, crucially, ensuring exports markets are reopened as soon as possible."